Is cantering on a horse scary?
I guess it can be a little scary your first time, but man what a rush! I love cantering and was so happy when my second barn let me ride a horse that was allowed to canter (they don’t canter at my other barn for safety reasons). My first canter was actually on a guided trail ride when I was a kid, I had no idea what I was doing. I had stopped the horse because my foot had come out of the stirrup and when I asked her to go she cantered to catch up. I wasn’t worried about falling down as much as I was scared of smacking my head on a branch! Anyways I love cantering, much better than trotting lol. Hope you have fun!
No it’s not scary at all I actually find it easier then a trot it feels a lot smoother to me like not as bumpy. They may start you off in a lunge line which if you don’t know what that is it is where the instructor will be standing in the middle and you will be cantering around the instructor in a circle with no reins. My first time to ever canter was bareback because I learned to ride bareback, so I started off with the lunge line and my instructor said to lean in towards her and just to hold onto the horses mane and then we went into walk first then trot then she asked for him to canter and then said if I felt comfortable enough to lift one arm, the first time I felt a little all over the place haha but the second time I did it in the lunge line it felt great and when I got done my instructor said you looked amazing you were moving perfectly in sync with the horses body movement and I could tell I was too.
Cantering – for first timer, cantering can sound and feel scary. I remember when I first cantered, I was slightly scared but found it a brilliant experience. I now love to canter. First time tell the yard owner/instructor/ride leader that you are inexperienced in canter and would like to be put on a quiet, steady, schoolmaster/schoolmistress. You want a horse which has a steady, smooth canter, not one with a short choppy stride. You want your first canter horse to be respondant to the brakes and leg. For your first time, ask if you can have a neck strap. This will help if you suddenly feel wobbly. Push all your weight down into your heals to stop you from tipping forward. You need to sit deep in the saddle and try not to bounce around too much, however, don’t grip with your knees. This will give the horse the impresion that you are nervous which will make the horse nervous. Push all your worry into your heels and just imagine you are on a rocking horse. trust your horse to go straight
